Chapter 4 Online Lecture Notes
- 1. Chapter 4 Online Lecture Notes One of the requirements of this course is the development of a student portfolio. A portfolio allows you to: Think about and plan your future Evaluate your progress Identify learning experiences that will help you reach your goals Demonstrate what you know and can do Learn to use a progressive tool that will be carried forward from year to year to recognize vital pieces of your personal, academic, and career development process Record ongoing work and accomplishments What is a career portfolio, and why is it important? A career portfolio is used after college graduation to obtain an internship, to get into graduate school, or during a job interview. It allows you to demonstrate examples of your work and accomplishments and supports points made in an interview regarding experience, skills, or accomplishments. It is important because it allows you to: Have an edge in the promotion process Shine in a performance review Distinguish yourself from the competition Turn an interview into an offer Find the right position for you Create the opportunity to stand out Be professionally empowered Possess better, more authentic, more robust evidence of good practice—for reflection, discussion, and/or evaluation Leave a legacy to new members of the profession Other than length, how does a résumé differ from a portfolio? A résumé is simply a marketing tool that outlines your skills and experiences so that someone can see at a glance how you might fit in a position. The résumé needs to be succinct, organized, and clearly focused on the particular purpose for which it is being used. What would be an example of a PAR statement that you might include on your résumé? Conducted research project on sanitation of university foodservice cutting boards. Designed and conducted the experiment. Determined best method for sanitation of cutting boards; reported to the foodservice contractor, who implemented the method. If the purpose of your portfolio is to get into a dietetic internship and your audience is the dietetic internship director, what items would you choose to highlight in your portfolio? Academic achievements, recognition, and awards
- 2. Relevant work experiences Skill sets Career goals Philosophy statement Evidence of teamwork SWOT analysis Why is it so important that a résumé be succinct, organized, and clearly focused on the audience for which it is intended? Research shows that interviewers often make decisions from a résumé in less than 30 seconds. Also, the résumé is an example of your communication, organization, and writing skills. This chapter begins with the statement “. . . success in any chosen profession begins with knowing yourself.” Why is this true, and what are some ways in which one can begin to know him- of herself better? If you don’t know what your interests, strengths, weaknesses, and long- and short-term goals are, then it is difficult to make decisions or plans on how to achieve success. It is also likely that you will change direction in your career path until you are able to know yourself. Reflection and self-assessment are helpful in arriving at self-understanding. The portfolio process requires both continuous reflection and self-assessment. The five steps in the portfolio development process are: 1. Reflection: This first step is the most important, and possibly the most difficult. The more thought you put into this step, the more rewarding your portfolio will be. The questions to ask and answer are: What are my strengths, weaknesses, and interests? What do I enjoy most in my coursework, work experiences, and so on? What are my short- and long-term professional and personal goals? Answers to these questions should be written out and included in the portfolio. You may want to write a personal statement or reflective autobiography, a story of your intellectual, emotional, and spiritual growth told by the person who knows it best—you. It requires some very deep reflective thought and should reveal to you some new insights into who, why, where, and what you are at the present time. 2. Assessment: Based on your short- and long-term goals and perceived weaknesses, what are your learning needs? Prioritize these needs based on their level of importance in reaching your goals. This step may help you to determine which classes would make good electives and what work experience would help to get you accepted to the internship of your choice. 3. Planning: What is needed to accomplish your learning needs? Each learning need should relate to at least one goal, and that learning need should be accomplished with a proposed plan. 4. Implementation: Put the plan into motion. Document what you are doing or have done to accomplish your plans. A very valuable addition to a portfolio is “work in progress.” 5. Evaluation: Review your progress over the past few years. Evaluate what you have learned and how you have applied the new knowledge. Revise your goals as they are accomplished, writing new goals as some are achieved.
- 3. SWOT stands for, and how do S and W differ from O and T? Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats Strengths and weaknesses are internal factors because you control them. Opportunities and threats are external factors because you do not control them. The purpose of conducting a SWOT analysis SWOT is a method of focusing your self-assessment in order to make better future decisions. Understanding your strengths and weaknesses and the opportunities available to you and the threats you might face will enable you to utilize your talents, manage your weaknesses, uncover and take advantage of opportunities, and eliminate threats.